Sleepless Nights
by ecologicalPanda
Summary: A fluffy one-shot. Slightly hurt/comfort. Chihiro lies awake one night, thinking about her life and the spirit world, when she gets a visit from an unexpected visitor...


**It's been a long time since I've posted anything, but I suddenly felt this urge to write again. Here's a little scene that popped into my head at 2 o'clock this morning ;) Sorry if there are any mistakes in it - Enjoy!**

**~Disclaimer: As much as I would love to, I do not own Spirited Away or its characters**

Chihiro stared blankly at the dimly lit ceiling. It was just after midnight, now officially being the first day of summer break. Normally, one would rejoice at this coming of freedom. And at one point, she used to. She would look forward to hanging out with her friends and going to the summer festival. That was until 4 years ago, when she was forced to pack her bags, switch cities, and start over with a new life. Of course, the little 'detour' in the Spirit World she had taken, that her parents had absolutely no recollection of, was by all means not bad. If anything though, it made it all the more painful.

The wind blew softly through her open window, stray beams of moonlight dancing across her blankets. Rolling onto her her side, she glanced out at the swaying tree tops of the nearby forest.

How odd, she thought, that the first day of summer should be a full moon. The last time she had seen a moon so full and bright was the day after that enormous rainfall in the Spirit World. It had rained so much that an ocean had formed, stretching as far as she could she.

When she returned to the Human World, she felt as if she had truly left her new life behind. She had no close friends and the people at school tended to avoid her. No, avoiding her might have been nice. It was more like they didn't even bother noticing her. Sure she would talk to people every once in a while, attempt to make friends, but it didn't matter. No one ever approached her because they wanted simply to chat.

So she simply returned the favor, only speaking when spoken directly to, eating alone at lunch with only the companionship of whatever good novel she happened to come across, and day-dreaming to pass the time during the ever-long classes. She wasn't sad or depressed, just lonely. Most of her free time was spent wandering the forest near her home, searching for a trace of the Spirit World, or reading and drawing at the library. It was as if she was simply waiting for that slightest hint that said, _You're not alone. I'm here for you._

Her thoughts then drifted to Haku. She missed him terribly, more than she liked to admit to herself. He was her first, and only, love. She may have only been a toddler when they first met, and 10 during their second encounter, but she knew that he was special to her in a way that no one else was. Now at 14 years of age, she was waiting for that 'third time's the charm' so she could tell him what he really meant to her. He still hadn't returned to her as promised after all these years. Some of her day-dreams were even about how they'd meet, where he would sweep her off her feet back to Rin and all her friends as if she were a princess in a fairytale. She missed them all; having tea and chatting with Zeniba, resting in the warm boiler room while Kamaji ground odd herbs for the bathes, cleaning the bathhouse with Rin, and even the short time she was able to spend with Boh, mouse or not. She wondered if they still remembered her just as she remembered them.

She hated it in this city. But she didn't want to go back to her old one, knowing that there was still a chance that Haku would come back for her. She was simply lost now, and suddenly very tired, she noted. Her head sunk into the pillow a little more as her eyes drifted shut. Soon a wave of sleepiness started to wash over her mind as she drifted off ever so slowly…..

_*thump* *thump* *thump*_

Her eyes shot open as she bolted up, connecting with the pair of emerald greens ones the stared back mere inches from her own. He had changed, filling out into the body of a teen with only a hint of the boy-ish figure he had before. He was lithe and muscular, but not overly, as you could see the way his robes formed the curves on his outstretched arm, his hand still curled from knocking on the wall. His hair, so green it was almost black, had grown to halfway down his back and shone in the moonlight. As he was crouching on her open windowsill, it was hard determine his exact height, although he definitely looked taller than her 5'4. He smiled down softly at her.

"Haku…" she breathed.

He hopped off her windowsill and landed gracefully on her bed, turning so that he was now sitting right next to her, his white and blue robes floating down softly with him.

"Haku," she said again, crystal tears forming on the edges of her eyes,"…you came."

"I did," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a warm embrace. He nuzzled his head into her neck, breathing in her scent, a warm cinnamon that made his entire body relax. His arms pulled her closer so that there was practically no space left between them. Chihiro rested her head on his shoulder, blushing madly and trying to stop the few tears that threatened to spill. He was so warm and comforting and…_safe_. She hadn't felt this way in a long time.

They sat there for a couple minutes in silence, each enjoying the others company. A soft breeze blew into the room, causing a few strands of Chihiro's long chocolate hair to blow into her face. Haku pulled back to look into her face. One of his hands rested on her side, as if he was afraid that she might disappear if he let go, while the other came up to tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear. She blushed deeper.

"Ha-Haku I can't believe you're really here. It's been so long, that I thought you may have forgotten about me," Chihiro said with a worried expression.

"Oh Chihiro, there wasn't a day that I wasn't thinking of you." He smiled down at her. "After you left, I went to go break my contract with Yubaba. But that witch tricked me, using the one card she still had against me: you."

"Me?" she said, her brows knitting together as she tried to understand. "But I was already allowed to leave. She shouldn't have been able to touch me since I would be in the Human World, right?"

"Exactly. But then, neither could I. As easy as it was for you to cross over to the Spirit World, it's unfortunately not the same for those who don't have attachments here going to this side. Because I no longer have my river, there was a series of long, complex spells I had to master to be able to fully appear," said Haku his eyes meeting hers again.

"But four years?" she questioned.

"Ah, that was the time I was made to keep working at the bathhouse while I studied before I could freely quit. 1 year for each day you spent in the Spirit World. And then, it took me a while to figure out why I wasn't able to find you, no matter what tracking spell I used. It wasn't until Boh mentioned a magic hair band that I thought to visit Zeniba, knowing that she must have had something to do with this. Apparently that little hair bend can protect you from even high level spells. You must have always been wearing it," he said, as she held up her right wrist to show the purple and silver band dangling from it. "Zeniba easily helped me to track it down then, leading me strait to this point." He leaned in so that his forehead was now touching hers.

"Haku, you did all that just so that you could see me again?" she asked as hope twinkled in her deep brown eyes.

"Of course. I promised didn't I? So here I am, although don't think I'll be letting you go anytime soon."

She chuckled and looked away at his possessiveness, tears again threatening to spill. These were the words she had wanted to hear for so long. To show that she was loved deeply by those other than her parents. Someone to fill the empty gap that she had been hiding for so long and make her feel whole and complete again, not lonely and abandoned. She summoned up what strength she could at this hour before turning to face him once more.

"Um, there's actually something I need to t-tell you as well. I don't know if you feel the same, but I've b-been thinking about it for a long time so I'm fairly positive of my answer. Y-You see, I …er… I th-think I might…be in lo-"

She was cut off suddenly as he leaned in, closing the small space between them, to gently brush his lips across hers. She froze as she felt his cool breath against her lips. Her face resembled a cherry now, as she stared back in disbelief into his smiling eyes. After a few seconds, he leaned in again and this time, she met him halfway. Their lips pressed together and Chihiro's eyes drifted shut as she got caught up in the moment. Her entire body completely relaxed, but at the same time, fire danced against her skin as his hands slid up to her arms, then around to support her; one hand resting on her back, the other tangling itself into her hair so that he could bring her closer to deepen the kiss.

He didn't even realize what he was doing until his lips met hers. His eyes drifted shut as he slid his arms around Chihiro to support her, allowing one hand to bury itself into her hair, pulling her closer to his chest. Her lips were soft and full, and he would have been lying if he said he had never wanted to do this with her before. Her body was warm pressed against his, and he could see that she had filled out nicely from the little 10 year old girl she was before.

She must have had a much similar thought as his before, as her hands soon found their way into his hair, tangling in the long flowing mass.

It seemed as though nothing could separate these two, save for the need for oxygen. It was as if she was made simply for him, and he for her. Her body molded perfectly against him, looking as if she finally found a place where she truly belonged: with him. The pulled apart then, both flushed.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that," he sighed, his cool breath fanning lightly against her skin.

If even still possible, she blushed deeper.

"So…Is it safe to say that my feelings are returned?" She smiled up at him, already knowing what the answer would be.

To answer, he leaned back in and captured her lips once again, the silvery moon still shining down on both of them, illuminating the pair of lovers.

**So, what did you think? I absolutely love this pairing, but I've never been romantically involved with someone before so if it's not very good, I'm sorry! I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. :)**


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